Edinburgh to Bolton Cycle Storage and Reservation

[thealexweb]

I am booking a short notice day trip from Edinburgh Waverley to Bolton, I have booked to travel on Tuesday 3rd November. On my outward journey, I am travelling on the 06:15 TPE Edinburgh Waverley to Preston and changing on to the 09:05 TPE Preston to Bolton. On my return journey, I am travelling on the 19:10 TPE Bolton to Preston and changing on to the 19:53 VTWC Preston to Edinburgh Waverley.

I have never travelled with a non-folding bicycle before and I am in need of some advice. As I am travelling with multiple TOCs, do I need to phone up both operators separately to book cycle storage? And can it be done from any manned station?

I am also curious about what would happen if I did not book cycle storage. And what would happen if I did book cycle storage and none was available / unoccupied? If I was not allowed to travel on my booked service where would that leave me as I am travelling on advance purchase tickets.

Thank you in advance.

Edit: Do the Northern Rail 156s TPE are using between Preston and Bolton even have cycle storage?

 

[yorkie]

I have booked to travel on Tuesday 3rd November....

TPE's website lets you book a cycle reservation at the time of purchasing! When on the seat seating preferences page, Click "bicycle space" to expand the selection, and then choose the number of bicycle spaces to reserve from the drop-down menu.

If you already booked then you can visit any station or contact TPE telesales. (That goes for all reserveable trains; no need to contact each operator separately!)

All TPE services have cycle accommodation, and 2* bikes can be reserved if the service is reserveable. Usually more than 2 bikes can be carried, and the Guard has the ultimate decision on how many bikes can be conveyed (which will depend on the type, and length of train).

(* It's possible that some trains booked for 6 cars might allow 4 bikes to be reserved, but I do not know if that is the case or not)

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've just tried this.

There are cycle spaces available on the Edinburgh <> Preston portions of your journey. Book them quick!

The Preston <> Bolton services are unreserveable.

On the outward journey, if the cycle space(s) on the train from Preston is/are full, I'd approach the Guard to seek advice. You may have to take a later service from Preston.

On the return journey, if the arrival time at Edinburgh is important to you, you may wish to take an earlier connecting service from Bolton. But you do not have to do this. If you find the cycle space(s) is/are full, again seek advice from staff, and you will be allowed to take later trains to complete your journey.

 

[thealexweb]

Thank you for replying.

Luckily my original purchase did not go through so I got the chance to go back and complete it again. I now have cycle reservations between Edinburgh and Preston.

When travelling on a VTWC and connections tickets, can I use any provider to get to Preston?

 

[yorkie]

When travelling on a VTWC and connections tickets, can I use any provider to get to Preston?

When you bought the ticket you should have been told the T&Cs, however it's not always made clear. A forum member has made a site www.brfares.com which shows you the T&Cs, you can use this to look up the particular ticket you hold (example).

Also, have you seen our Fares Guide? We've got this covered; see RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide - Section 1 - Ticket Types & Conditions - 1.1.3.1.1 Multi-Leg Journeys with Connecting Trains The PDF document attached to the guide states the rail industry's view.

 

[thealexweb]

When you bought the ticket you should have been told the T&Cs, however it's not always made clear. A forum member has made a site www.brfares.com which shows you the T&Cs, you can use this to look up the particular ticket you hold (example).

Also, have you seen our Fares Guide? We've got this covered; see RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide - Section 1 - Ticket Types & Conditions - 1.1.3.1.1 Multi-Leg Journeys with Connecting Trains The PDF document attached to the guide states the rail industry's view.

I will have a read through both of those. If I am in any doubt I will just stick to the services I clicked on during the time of booking. Thank you for all your help.